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Credit Basics : What kind of information is in a credit report?

A consumer credit report contains four types of information: identifying information, credit information, public record information, and inquiries.

Identifying information:

• Your name
• Your current and previous addresses
• Your Social Security number
• Your year of birth
• Your current and previous employers
• If you're married, your spouse's name

Credit information includes credit accounts or loans you have with:

• Banks
• Retailers
• Credit card issuers
• Other lenders

Public record information includes any information that's contained in state and county court records, like:

• Bankruptcies
• Tax liens
• Monetary judgments

Inquiries indicate to other credit grantors that you have applied for new credit that could result in additional debt. Potential lenders view multiple recent inquiries on your credit report as a sign that you are overextending yourself.

A credit risk score may also be included when your report is provided to a credit grantor, although it is not included on consumer review reports. The ways to calculate and use a credit score vary widely, so a score has little meaning outside of the context of a particular lender's unique guidelines for use. Therefore, it is not included on consumer review reports.

So now we know all of that... the next questin you might be asking yourself is... "Do *I* have a good credit?" Well, here's how you find out...

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